My brother has a dog that has a horrible smell and she scratches often. We think she has some kind of a skin condition and my mom has tried using several different kinds of shampoos and remedies. She has used an oatmeal shampoo, vinegar and I can't remember what else she has tried. I found some medicated shampoo and conditioner that's supposed to stop flaky skin and itching. The bottle also says that it deodorizes. The ingredients are coal tar and sulfur and triclosan. (I didn't know what this was so I looked it up, it's an antibacterial and anti fungal agent).

Has anyone ever used this kind of shampoo or does anyone know of any other products or home remedies that might work? Thanks.

It does sound like your brother's dog probably has some kind of a skin problem . One likely possibility is that the dog has a yeast infection.
If the dog is scratching constantly, or licks their feet and toes , then this is a sign of a yeast infection, as is a bad smell, which is sometimes described as smelling musty, or even like "Cheetos" (cheese flavored snack food).
One helpful thing is to cut down on any sugars in the diet, since all yeast feed on sugars. Starchy vegetables like potatoes and corn also turn into sugar in the digestive system.
Another thing that is important is to bathe the dog, and then rinse with something that will kill the yeast on the skin. What is recommended is a mixture of a gallon of water with one cup each of white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide.
Here is a great tutorial that explains all about yeast infection in dogs, and how it should be treated to get rid of it.
Hopefully, this will also help your brother's dog !!

I have observed that dogs are troubled by scratching their skin. I have discovered that this is caused by mites and ticks which adhere to their flesh even after the poor animal has died. Dogs are a bit unfortunate in that they don't sweat through their skin and sweat through their mouth. This tends to clog the pores in their skin especially when its hot. To this end, dogs should be regularly shampood to prevent these aches. A good dog shampoo should be available from health stores. One simple formula is to mix methylated spirit and milk. This cleans the skin and leaves a cool clean feeling. This should be done preferably after a bathe in warm water and then spraying them with this mixture. I believe that sulphur should be made into a paste and massaged into the dogs.

From the symptoms you described, Happyflowerlady, it sounds like she may have a yeast infection. I have noticed that she frequently licks or chews at her paws or toes. I see the dog all the time because she mainly stays on my front porch during the day while my brother is at work. (My brother's house and mine are close together). The smell is also horrific. It's not a regular dog smell, it's something else that's hard for me to describe and sometimes the smell is worse than at other times. Maybe this depends on what she has eaten. I'll tell my mom about the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide, and hopefully that will help her. Thanks for the information and link to the video.

Great, @hillcritters, and I hope that this helps your brother's dog to feel and smell better. The video does a great job of explaining the hows and whys about yeast infection in dogs, and it really sounded to me like that was the problem you were having with your brother's poor dog.
As Remnant mentioned, there could also be fleas or ticks that are making him itch; but the telltale stinky smell is not usually found with something like fleas, plus if it was fleas or ticks, you would have been able to see those and dealt with it properly.
White vinegar is just a great natural cleaner and disinfectant, and it is very cheap to buy, as is peroxide.
I have also used apple cider vinegar as a natural rinse for my hair, and I think that would work for the yeast, if you have that and not the white vinegar.
Let us know how it works out, and if this does not help, we can try to figure out what else might be causing the problem.

I use one called Silvo and I'm very please with it. I have been using it for years now. It kills fleas and ticks and does leave them with a nice, soft shiny coat. A little goes a long way. It's lathered on and left on the dog's coat for 10 minutes, I use that time to do between the toes and little hidden areas. When you start brushing her coat you can see the dead fleas coming up. Sometimes I may add a little baking soda or some savlon in the rinse water. I rinse away all traces of the shampoo before using the baking soda/savlon water to complete the rinse. That rinse also makes their coat soft and shiny. You can literally see them saying thank you after a bath, although they can be disagreeable during .